Academy: Heredia, US U-17s defeat Turkey 2-1

Quakes Youth Academy midfielder sees time in US 2-1 victory

December 5, 2011

SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Youth Development Academy midfielder Angel Heredia came on as a substitute in the 54th minute in a 2-1 victory against Turkey in the United States’ second match at the Nike International Friendlies on Friday.

With the win, the U.S. (1-0-1) is tied with Brazil (1-0-1) with four points in the four-team tournament being played at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, Fla. France (0-0-2) has tied both of their matches and Turkey (0-2-0) has yet to record a win.

The U.S. U17s will face Brazil next on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. PT at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch in Florida. The game will be televised on FOX Soccer. Turkey will face France at 11 a.m. PT.

In the sixth minute, the U.S. got their first shot on goal by Herber Mejia Flores, who sent a lobbed ball right to the goalkeeper. Play continued to switch back and forth for the next 10 minutes as defense held both teams to a draw.

Tyler Turner put the U.S. on the board in the 16th minute with an assist from Mejia Flores. Turner set himself up for the header and sent it right for Rubin, who ducked just in time for the ball to go over his head and into the net. A minute later, Mejia Flores had a shot on goal to the far post.

A red card was shown to Turkey’s Yusuf Selim Sahin for a hard tackle on Mejia Flores in the 39th minute.

The U.S. seemed to dominate most of the first half, but Turkey came out strong after the break and evened the score in the 48th minute with a goal from Mustafa Batuhan Altintas.

Angel Heredia entered the pitch in the 54th minute as a substitute for Jorge Calix. He joined the U.S. in an offensive drive through the late second half as his teammates continue to fire shots on goal. Heredia took a corner kick in the 77th minute, but his cross was cleared out.

Mejia Flores found the back of the net in the 88th minute with an assist from Wesley Wade. After the celebration, Flores appeared hurt and was helped off the field by trainers. The U.S. held onto their lead through the remaining minutes of regulation plus two minutes of stoppage time for the win.

The 2011 Winter Showcase takes place from Dec. 2-6 featuring games from all 78 Development Academy clubs, and will be in conjunction with the ninth annual Nike International Friendlies. The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team, whose current roster features 24 players representing Academy clubs, face Brazil, France and Turkey, with all of the U.S. matches being televised on Fox Soccer.